title: Use of carbon dioxide as negative contrast agent for magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of using CO(2) as negative contrast agent in decreasing the overlapping on the pancreaticobiliary system from intestinal fluids.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) images in 117 patients divided into two groups (group 1, without taking gas producing crystals to produce CO(2), n = 64; group 2, with CO(2), n = 53) in a 1.5T unit using MRCP sequence. Anatomic locations of intestinal fluids distribution, overlapping with common bile duct (CBD) and pancreatic duct (PD), were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the group with CO(2), the decrease in distribution of intestinal fluids was significant in the gastric antrum (P = 0.001) and duodenal bulb (P < 0.001), but not in the gastric fundus and body and in the second portion of the duodenum (P = 1.000, P = 0.171, and P = 0.584 respectively). In the group with CO(2), the decrease in overlapping with CBD was significant (P < 0.001), but the decrease in overlapping with PD was not (P = 0.106).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRCP with carbon dioxide as negative contrast agent would decrease intestinal fluids in the gastric antrum and duodenal bulb, thereby decreasing overlapping with the CBD.
authors.affiliation: Ching-Wen Chen, Yi-Sheng Liu, Hong-Ming Tsai, Shu-Chen Chen, Ming-Tsung Chuang, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan 70428, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Ching-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yi-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chiung-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hong-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Shu-Chen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ming-Tsung
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Chuang